1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a dental veneer holder that has a bottom tray and a top cover. A dental veneer is a cap for a tooth that is applied with an adhesive. The bottom tray is a black plastic plate that has recessed wells molded into it. The top cover has a dark foam inserted into the plate to keep light from entering into the holder and to hold the veneers in place to transport them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of teeth and dental holders are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,318,618 to Myerson et al. discloses a display receptacle and shipping container for artificial teeth. The manufacturer of artificial teeth mounts these teeth in properly matched sets into the receptacle. The receptacle comprises a housing that has a cap and side walls. However, this receptacle differs from the present invention because it is circular and houses false teeth, not dental veneers.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,422,044 to Edwards discloses a mount for artificial teeth comprising a sheet of cardboard or other suitable material containing a series of recesses or cavities arranged transversely across the sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,702,312 to Pickering discloses a display holder for artificial teeth. The display holder includes a tray that allows a series of teeth to be mounted thereon. The tray is comprised of a tooth supporting rack that is stamped from sheet metal and in a corrugated form and shaped in a downwardly and outwardly inclined surface. The teeth are supported on these surfaces and separated by rows.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,771 to Lee discloses a dental restoration holder system that comprises a placement tab inserted into an oblong support. The invention also consists of a insertion tool for inserting into the placement tab. The insertion tool is used to insert dental veneers on teeth.
The prior art discloses dental holder systems that have a means for sorting teeth. However, the prior art does not disclose a dental veneer holder that has a black top cover and a black bottom tray designed to shield light from the veneers. When the dental holder is closed, the veneers are completely shielded from light. The light shielding qualities of the holder are important because they allow a light sensitive adhesive to be placed upon the dental veneers. In addition, unlike the prior art, the present invention allows the dental veneers to be arranged based upon their placement in a mouth.